Turkey objects to the maritime border demarcation agreement between Lebanon and Cyprus.

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Turkey has expressed its opposition to the signing of a new maritime border demarcation agreement between Lebanon and Cyprus, considering that it affects the "equal rights and interests of Turkish Cypriots" on the island, in reference to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is not internationally recognized. Ankara affirmed, at the same time, its readiness to cooperate with Lebanon in any maritime arrangements that "preserve its interests and the rights of its people." The spokesperson for the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oncu Keceli, said that his country views the agreement from the perspective of the rights of Turkish Cypriots, pointing out that Greek Cyprus has been signing bilateral agreements with countries in the region since 2003 to demarcate maritime zones without involving Turkish Cypriots. Keceli added in a statement on Thursday that "the agreement that was re-signed between Lebanon and Cyprus, although it is outside the Turkish continental shelf registered with the United Nations in 2020, is part of the unilateral steps that ignore the rights of Turkish Cypriots." He pointed out that the signing of such an agreement by Lebanon or any other coastal state with Cyprus "directly affects the rights of the residents of the northern part of the island," stressing that Cyprus "does not represent the entire island" and does not have the authority to make these decisions alone. The Turkish spokesperson called on the international community, especially the countries of the region, not to support these unilateral steps, saying that his country "will continue to firmly defend the rights and interests of Turkish Cypriots." Baabda Palace in Beirut witnessed on Wednesday the signing of the agreement between Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Lebanese Minister of Public Works Fayez Ghosn, in the presence of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, in a move described by both sides as "historic" and opens the way for strengthening regional cooperation, especially in the energy sector. Turkey affirms that it and the Turkish Cypriots have rights to oil and gas resources in the eastern Mediterranean, amid chronic disputes with Greece and Cyprus regarding border demarcation and the continental shelf, in addition to the Cyprus issue, which each party supports on a national basis. Ankara indicates that it has faced significant tension since 2019 due to exploration operations it carried out off the coast of Cyprus, which prompted the European Union to impose limited sanctions on it, before withdrawing the "Yavuz" ship in October 2020 in a move described as reducing the level of tension. Turkey also renewed last week its rejection of the "maritime spatial planning" registered by Greece with the European Union platform, considering that it ignores the rules of international maritime law. The Lebanese government had approved the agreement with Cyprus on October 23, before it was officially announced on Wednesday, despite warnings indicating the possibility of loopholes that could harm Lebanon's interests in its exclusive economic zone, as happened in the demarcation agreement with Israel in 2022. A Turkish military official said that Ankara "cannot accept any agreement that ignores the rights of Northern Cyprus," considering that the agreement "may also affect the interests of the Lebanese people," adding that Turkey is ready to cooperate with Lebanon in the maritime field. For its part, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" considered that the new agreement is "part of the unilateral measures taken by the Greek Cypriot side since 2003 to seize the rights of Turkish Cypriots in the island and the eastern Mediterranean," stressing its continued "defense of its equal sovereign rights in the island and its natural resources," and calling on the international community not to support "steps that lead to escalating tension."